Fall TV Watch List

I never read The Fault in Our Stars, but I did see the movie trailer, and I was struck by the line “I fell for him like you fall asleep…slowly at first, and then all at once.”*
That’s definitely how Fall TV season crept up on me this year. Two weeks ago, it seemed like an eternity until the new fall shows would begin to premiere. But then I got busy and distracted, and it wasn’t until I opened an internet browser this morning and saw all the advertising that I even remembered today was the day. (Now I’m kind of embarrassed. My 18-year-old subscription to Entertainment Weekly is ashamed of me.)
Anyway, that means that it’s time for my annual unveiling of the new shows I’m interested it. I must say, there’s not a lot this year that has me as excited as, say, Constantine last year, but in all fairness, I’m getting pickier every fall. So here are the brand-new shows I’m actually kind of excited about…and the shows that interest me just enough to get a shot on the DVR.

Minority Report
This intrigues me for a few reasons, not the least of which is that it’s a sort of television sequel to a movie good enough to warrant one. The trailer was entertaining, the cast looks good, and reportedly Spielberg has his fingers in the pie. I’m in.

The Muppets
You had me at Muppets.

Scream Queens
I enjoy this kind of horror/comedy “splatstick” – to a point. Whether or not I continue watching Scream Queens past the pilot will depend a lot on a) if it can be actually scary (a mistake this summer’s Scream made early on) and b). whether or not they can make me actually care about any of the characters. Considering that all of the teasers have featured nothing but hilarious bitchery from all sides, I’m a bit skeptical on the latter.

Quantico
Because it looks like NCIS and Scandal had a baby and then it went on crack.

“Watch and See” Shows

Grinder/Grandfathered
FOX has (wisely?) been promoting these two comedies together, to the point where they seem like two parts of a whole: the Aging 80’s Heartthrob Comedy Hour. I’ll definitely give Grinder a real shot because the premise is fun, but Grandfathered is really going to have to work for my respect, given the sexist undertones of the setup.

Supergirl
I really want to like this show, but it was kind of ruined for me when the trailer was released right after Scarlett Johanssen’s Black Widow movie parody on SNL. But I’m still hoping Supergirl can overcome the too-heavy-on-the-fluff previews and turn into something as substantial as the hero herself.

Life in Pieces
Good cast. Funny trailer. We’ll see.

Limitless
I never actually watched this movie, so I can’t claim to have much of a connection to this premise. But I love Jennifer Carpenter, and Jake McDorman has done enough good work in thankless roles to deserve a shot at a hit. I’m also fascinated that Bradley Cooper is on board for a few episodes (isn’t it fun when huge movie stars come back to TV, a la George Clooney on ER?), since he probably isn’t exactly hurting for the money.

*Or something close to that. I don’t actually care enough to look up the exact wording.